SB 162 VA

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To Executive

Voter registration; restoration of political rights upon release from incarceration; certain adjudications. Provides that any person who loses his political rights as a result of a felony conviction shall be invested with those rights upon his release from incarceration and shall be entitled to register to vote. The bill directs the Department of Corrections and the State Board of Local and Regional Jails to transmit to the Department of Elections certain information for incarcerated persons with a pending date of release and requires the Department of Elections to process the information and make the necessary changes to the voter registration system to permit such persons to register to vote by the date of the person's scheduled date of release. On the date of an incarcerated person's release, the appropriate authority is required by the bill to provide a voter registration application, information on returning the form by mail or completing it by electronic means, and an official release document to serve as a safety net for voter registration. The bill also amends the language regarding adjudications of mental incompetency for purposes of being qualified to vote; a person adjudicated to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting shall not be entitled to vote until that capacity has been reestablished. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027, contingent upon the approval of the constitutional amendments at the November 3, 2026, general election. This bill is identical to HB 964.

• Mamie E. Locke Democratic · primary

1. Jan 7, 2026 Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100690D · upper
2. Jan 7, 2026 Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections · upper
3. Feb 2, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB162) · upper
4. Feb 3, 2026 Senate committee offered · upper
5. Feb 3, 2026 Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendment and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 6-N) · upper
6. Feb 10, 2026 Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N) · upper
7. Feb 11, 2026 Rules suspended · upper
8. Feb 11, 2026 Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
9. Feb 11, 2026 Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote) · upper
10. Feb 12, 2026 Read second time · upper
11. Feb 12, 2026 Privileges and Elections Amendment agreed to · upper
12. Feb 12, 2026 Engrossed by Senate as amended (Voice Vote) · upper
13. Feb 13, 2026 Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A) · upper
14. Feb 18, 2026 Placed on Calendar · lower
15. Feb 18, 2026 Read first time · lower
16. Feb 18, 2026 Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections · lower
17. Feb 20, 2026 House committee offered · lower
18. Feb 20, 2026 Reported from Privileges and Elections with substitute (15-Y 6-N) · lower
19. Feb 20, 2026 Committee substitute printed 26107718D-H1 · lower
20. Feb 24, 2026 Read second time · lower
21. Feb 25, 2026 Read third time · lower
22. Feb 25, 2026 committee substitute agreed to · lower
23. Feb 25, 2026 Engrossed by House - committee substitute · lower
24. Feb 25, 2026 Passed House with substitute (65-Y 33-N 0-A) · lower
25. Feb 27, 2026 House substitute rejected by Senate (18-Y 20-N 0-A) · upper
26. Feb 27, 2026 Reconsideration of (39-Y 0-N 0-A) · upper
27. Feb 27, 2026 House substitute agreed to by Senate (20-Y 19-N 0-A) · upper
28. Mar 2, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB162) · upper
29. Mar 4, 2026 Enrolled · upper
30. Mar 4, 2026 Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB162ER) · upper
31. Mar 4, 2026 Signed by Speaker · lower
32. Mar 4, 2026 Signed by President · upper
33. Mar 6, 2026 Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB162) · upper
34. Mar 10, 2026 Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 · upper
35. Mar 10, 2026 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 · executive
36. Apr 11, 2026 Governor's recommendation received by Senate · executive

The published texts of this bill as it moves through the legislature. Each links to the official document on the state legislature site. Data from OpenStates.

• Governor Substitute · PDF
• Governor Substitute · HTML
• Governor's Recommendation · HTML
• Enrolled · PDF
• Enrolled · HTML
• Privileges and Elections Substitute · PDF
• Privileges and Elections Substitute · HTML
• Privileges and Elections Substitute · PDF
• Privileges and Elections Substitute · HTML
• Engrossed · PDF
• Engrossed · HTML
• Privileges and Elections Amendment · HTML
• Privileges and Elections Amendment · HTML
• Introduced · PDF
• Introduced · HTML